The Arab region has enjoyed phenomenal growth of mobile phone users over the past two years as competition and price reductions have driven widespread adoption of GSM sets. In June 2000, Mideast GSM users were estimated at more than 6.8 million, out of as many as 300 million worldwide. Forecasts predict that by December 2004, the Middle East user base will top 28 million users.

According to studies by several international research firms, mobile phone users in Europe will top 270 million within the coming four years while well over 60 percent of those users will be subscribed to WAP services.

“Middle East growth could be driven further by introduction of advanced GSM services that are driving movement towards convergent wireless technologies," says Jean-Luc Vuillemin, CEO of MobileCom.

Such services, known as value added services could include Short Messages Service (SMS), Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) or Internet access through a mobile handset, and email services to name a few. The implementation of such services in the region will enable more people to get more value out of their GSM phones. Strong sources for content are making the mobile Internet more useful to wider audience, which is further increasing the demand for mobile phones.

"In Europe, mobile phone operators are offering special area services which automatically alerts a person by sending an SMS message to their phone, providing information about a shop or service close by," said Vuillemin.

MobileCom is Jordan’s public mobile telephone network operator, and is the operator of the mobile communications license granted to Jordan Telecom. The company, which is 40 percent owned by France Telecom, launched its full public service in Jordan on September 15, 2000. — (Albawaba-MEBG)